This might explain a lot about Rick Santorum and his beliefs regarding the Constitution. As far as Rick Santorum is concerned, this nation should be a Catholic theocracy. This, of course, means that priests and bishops would be sacrosanct and above reproach even if they molest children. It is also apparent that Santorum is, by and large, ignorant of history.He said on ABC today that:

“I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country. This is the First Amendment. The First Amendment says the free exercise of religion. That means bringing everybody, people of faith and no faith, into the public square. Kennedy for the first time articulated the vision saying, no, ‘faith is not allowed in the public square. I will keep it separate.’ Go on and read the speech ‘I will have nothing to do with faith. I won’t consult with people of faith.’ It was an absolutist doctrine that was foreign at the time of 1960.”

Kennedy was not the first to articulate the whole issue of the separation of church and state. James Madison, largely seen as the architect of the Bill of Rights, stated “Strongly guarded as is the separation between Religion & Govt in the Constitution of the United States.” The phrase itself dates to Thomas Jefferson who wrote:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”, thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.

In fact, the view was not only that there should be a wall between the two, but that the State should not interfere unreasonably with religious practice nor should religion unduly interfere with the governance of others. Simply put, Congress can pass laws that are based in a secular society, but people are not forced to adhere to many of those secular laws if they do not wish to. Women are not forced to undergo abortions, people are not forced to marry others of the same-sex, or use birth control. Outside of those laws which make things blatantly illegal, no one is incarcerated for living according to their religious beliefs. Certainly, a person cannot murder another and claim religious exemption, but they can refuse to marry someone who is lesbian or gay.

Of course, as far as Rick Santorum is concerned, theocracy is the only way to go, and fuck the Constitution.